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Kenma Kozume
is a 2nd year student from Nekoma High. He is the team's setter, "brain" and "heart". Appearance Kenma is depicted with average height and a small build. He has many outstanding features including his cat-like golden colored eyes and blonde hair with black roots (sometimes called a "Pudding-Head"). He had dyed his hair stating that he did not want to "stand out". As in a Haikyuu! extra, Yamamoto claimed he looked like Sadako while gaming with his head downwards and that he stood out, much to Kenma's dismay. He previously had black hair. He dresses casually, and his Nekoma uniform is the standard black and red jersey. Personality Kenma has a very relaxed and laid back personality. He hardly ever loses his cool, and he usually never gets excited or fired up about anything (with the exception of Hinata, video games, and Lev - in the Nekoma OVA which Kuroo points out). He is quiet and reserved and does not often voice his opinions, since he is afraid of what others might think of them. Kenma is not very approachable and doesn't make friends easily. He rarely shows emotions; as such, he usually ends up giving a cold impression to others. His manner of speaking tends to be shy and sometimes he seems disturbed - like when Hinata first met him. Apart from Tetsurō Kuroo, his next door neighbor, Kenma didn't befriend anyone since he was at elementary school. Despite his modest personality, Kenma is actually quite skilled in volleyball, with his extraordinary game sense and technique, which makes up for his power, speed, and stamina. Background When Kenma was younger, he was completely unable to make friends on his own accord chapter 29 . His only playmate back then was Kuroo, who was around his age and lived nearby. Kuroo introduced Kenma to volleyball sometime before they entered junior high; Kenma didn't like sports in particular back then, but he found that volleyball was somewhat fun. Eventually, Kuroo convinced him to join the junior high volleyball club and Kenma received the number 5 on the team. Kenma rejoined a volleyball team in high school, but thought of quitting at first because of the pressure the third years put on him; they often called him out specifically and made him run longer than other members. However, Kuroo convinced him otherwise, reminding Kenma of how amazing he is, and Kenma is now the official setter for the team. Plot Karasuno High Team Formation Arc Karasuno High heads off to a training camp. During a jog, Hinata gets lost and runs into Kenma. He approaches the setter, trying to start a conversation; however, Kenma seems more absorbed into his video game. He tells Hinata that he’s lost as well; merely passing time with his game, but then tenses at Hinata’s reaction as he spots volleyball shoes in his bag. Hinata keeps asking Kenma countless questions; he doesn’t stop till he discovers that Kenma is a second year, yet Kenma tells him not to worry; he doesn’t like that kind of status formalities in athletics. Hinata asks Kenma whether he likes volleyball, but he replies with neither; saying that he doesn’t like it because he hates getting tired, yet his friends play it, and they probably can’t do it without him, then he adds that he’s only doing it while he’s in high-school. Once more, Hinata asks him if it’s weird that his position is middle blocker, considering it’s a position for tall guys! Kenma tells him that it doesn’t matter; the audience usually underestimates him when he goes to matches since he’s not athletic, while the setter position is granted for the most talented player. Hinata asks if Kenma’s school is strong and he replies that it was strong in the past and had declined, but lately it’s been pretty strong. Before Kenma says the name of his school, his teammate – Kuroo – arrives and interrupts them. As he's leaving, he tells Hinata that he would see him soon, confusing the latter. Kuroo and Kenma head to a training match against Tsukinokizawa, they start making side comments of Kenma being small and unsteady while they are warming up, but Kuroo defends him, saying that he is the backbone of Nekoma High; their brain, and their heart. This match ends with Nekoma winning the first two sets, leaving their opponent confused about the reason they lost, but also noting that none of the players are geniuses at offense or defense, but they’re strong. Back at Nekoma’s camp, the players discuss if Karasuno has a female manager or not. Yamamoto asks Kenma about his opinion and the latter replies that he doesn’t care, but he’s kind of looking forward to the match. The practice match soon comes up, and both teams line up in front of each other. Hinata gets shocked as he sees Kenma. After bowing, Hinata approaches Kenma and asks him the reason he didn’t say he plays for Nekoma; the latter explains that Hinata didn’t ask, but he knew he’d see him again since he noticed Karasuno written on his shirt. Kageyama asks Hinata about Kenma, and Hinata replies that he is Nekoma’s setter, which makes Kageyama overly interested. Before the match begins, Kenma tells Kuroo that his pre-match speeches are embarrassing, but then trails off as the rest of his teammates take Kuroo’s side. The referee whistles and the match begin, Kenma tells Hinata that he thinks Nekoma is strong because of the entire team, not just because of himself, then he takes his position for the first serve, resulting for Kageyama and Hinata to perform their signature quick strike right off the bat, which leaves everyone traumatized including him. He approaches Hinata and tells him he’s shocked; and their move was amazing. As Karasuno keeps their fast attacks, Nekoma asks for a time out, when Kenma suggests that all they need to stop Hinata is by narrowing his range of movement; they merely keep repeating the same fast move, and all what Hinata does is striking where there are no blockers, so he tells Inouka to chase him around; even if they can’t clear the first round of the game, he will get used to his movement. After repeatedly chasing Hinata, Inuoka manages to touch the ball multiple times which concerns Kageyama. In this same attack, Hinata attempts to block a fast attack by Nekoma, but surprisingly, Kenma dumps the ball and scores a point for Nekoma. After that he keeps analyzing the rest of Karasuno players, he notices that Tsukishima is intelligent, unlike Hinata; he observes and thinks carefully before making a move. Then he fools Tsukishima at the next serve by glancing at his right before tossing to the opposite direction, this proves his theory that Tsukishima is observing him as well. At the benches, Nekomata comments about Kenma’s character, saying that he’s not good with people, hence he’s constantly concerned about what they think, which makes him good at observing people, and coming up with interesting theories about their opponents. Meanwhile, Takeda notes that Kenma doesn’t stand out at all, especially compared to Kageyama; however, Kenma may be capable of incredible things. Ukai replies that it’s because of Nekoma’s stable receives that Kenma can show his real skills. As the game progress, Inuoka gets used to Hinata’s spikes and manages to block him, however Hinata starts spiking with his eyes open and after multiple failures, Hinata clearly saw a pathway through the blockers and he aimed for it, surprising Kenma and everyone else. Tokyo Expedition Arc Kenma’s phone vibrates announcing for a message; Hinata is asking him to do his best at Tokyo prelims. He texts back asking Hinata if he’s coming over to Tokyo, and the latter challenges him, saying he’s gonna win this time. The day after that Hinata shows Tanaka and Nishinoya another text message from Kenma, telling him that they already made it through the first round of prelims. When Karasuno team arrives at Tokyo, Kenma sounds confounded at Hinata’s absence, but Taketora explains that Kageyama and he are only late for having supplementary exams. Soon after the training matches start, Nekoma faces Fukurōdani Academy, and when Bokuto spikes the ball, Kenma dodges it even though he was jumping for a block. After being yelled at by Nekomata, he explains that his arms are going to break; considering Bokuto’s strength. Back at Nekoma’s camp, Kenma sits playing on his video game when Hinata asks him about their middle blocker. Kenma introduces him as the first year Lev Haiba; a Russian/Japanese half-blood who was absent at their previous match because he only started volleyball at high school. He says that it was difficult when they were first paired; their timing was off no matter how hard Kenma tried, but he started to get used to him. He adds that Lev is so special that he couldn’t read him easily, but still a powerful asset, honest and not a bad guy, even though he’s too honest at times. He suddenly stops playing and remarks that Lev passing basics and serves are worse than Hinata’s, which angers Hinata for being a reference for bad playing. This conversation makes the rest of Nekoma players overwhelmed that Kenma is talking to someone without being shy. Next morning when Nekoma is training, Lev asks Kenma for an unplanned side hit, Kenma tosses him the ball and they manage to score a point. However, he tells Lev that he can’t keep asking for a side hit out of nowhere, he can’t always keep up. This conversation surprises Hinata and Kageyama because they managed to score even though it wasn’t planned. Statistics Since Kenma is often concerned about what other people think of him, he pays more attention to his surroundings; this helps him notice little details and calculate his opponents' skills, allowing him to decide which moves he should use to defeat them. Like the rest of his team, he is flexible and good at receiving the ball. According to Coach Ukai, as a setter, he is supported by his entire team's receiving power. In other words, he can utilize his talents because of the receivers. 'Dump Shot' Due to his calculation of his surroundings, he can tell when would be the perfect opportunity for a dump shot, causing him to become an expert at them. Relationships Tetsurō Kuroo Because of Kenma's inability to make friends of his own accord, Kuroo, who was around his age and lived in the same neighborhood, has always been his friend; they would play volleyball together. Under Kuroo's influence, Kenma joined the volleyball club in junior high and in high school. During Kenma's first year, he wanted to quit volleyball because the senpais were always bossing him around, but Kuroo convinced him to stay. Kuroo is usually looking after Kenma; he once brought Kenma back to the team when the latter got lost in Miyagi and made sure Kenma ate during the summer camp barbecue. Kenma also calls Kuroo by his nickname, "Kuro". In the Cross Team Match game Kenma has stated that he had never failed a test because Kuroo teaches him before tests. Shōyō Hinata According to Kuroo, Kenma has always shown some excitement when watching Hinata's matches, comparing his adoration while looking at Hinata to happiness when he gets a new game. Kenma also told Hinata that he was looking forward to having a real match with Hinata and Karasuno because he found them interesting, though Kenma usually never gets excited about anything except video games. During the summer camp, Hinata spent most of his time, when away from Karasuno, with Kenma. He also got Kenma to toss to him five times, an incredible feat according to Kuroo. The two of them are good friends even outside of the court, texting each other and referring to each other by their first names. Trivia *Current Concern: Summer is too hot, winter is too cold. *Favorite Food: apple pie. *He is an only childVolume 10, Special Chapter 1. *He had dyed his hair blonde because he didn't want to "stand out." Because Yamamoto said his hair looks like Sadako, so people are going to look at him, so the next day he changed his hair to blonde. (Bonus chapter: 'Story Of The Pudding Hair') *His star sign is Libra. *He neither likes nor hates volleyball; he hates getting tired, yet his friends play it, and they probably can’t do it without him. *His nerves are always on edge because he doesn't want to be noticed. *He considered quitting volleyball when he was a first year because there were many people and he didn't think he could handle it, however Kuroo talked him out of it. *His username on his games is 'applepi'. *'Nomenclature': **Kenma (研磨) - Polishing **Kozume (孤爪) - Lone Claw Quotes *"I'm not good with people, and I don't want to interact with them. And yet I'm very concerned about what others think about me. ''" *"I feel anxious if my field of vision is too wide; so I can't cut my hair." ''Story of the pudding head References Category:Characters Category:Male Characters Category:Nekoma High Volleyball Club Category:Setters Category:2nd Year